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Don Alm June 11, 2003 03:30 PM

Money-Making Ideas are ALL Around!
 
"Diamonds in your back yard!"

Here's what I did to discover a couple recent "money-making" GEMS;

Last summer (2002)I decided to see what ideas I could come up with for the "Tourist" market so I went over to the lobby of our 100 room Holiday Inn Express and SAT....FOR 3 HOURS!....drinking coffee...reading newspapers AND...observing....seeing and listening to what was going on.

I saw tourists come in...walk to the front desk to check in. When they were finished and were handed their keys some of them asked if there was a MAP of the area....others asked where the GIFT SHOPS were and real estate guides and attractions and the most common question was, "Are there any RESTAURANT GUIDES or DIRECTORIES?"

So...as I was sitting there I started writing on my yellow pad, "MAP!....GIFT SHOPS... REALTORS...ATTRACTIONS....RESTAURANTS!"

Each tourist entered thru the front lobby doorway and passed a BLANK WALL to enter the main door. I thought, "Great place for a BOARD...with a MAP on it and some Ads around the sides!"

So...I went home and did some measuring and designing and came up with a BOARD where I could fit a MAP and 18 ads around the edges.
Here's what it looks like; http://www.pjbux.com/lobbyboards

I made up a sample Board and showed it to the Holiday Inn Manager and he gave me the OK to install it.

I then went to 9 other motels and got the manager's OK and proceeded to sell 18 businesses on having a full color ad on my "Lobby Boards" for $800 a year.

One of the other "promotion ideas" I got that day I sat in the lobby was...what about making up a Book of MENUS and having this Book available for tourists to get a PREVIEW of what kind of food is served and the prices. I also thought it would be a GREAT IDEA to include PHOTOS of the INTERIORS of restaurants to help tourists SEE what the INSIDE of restaurants look like.

Thus....my "RESTAURANT GUIDE" was created!
Here's what it looks like;

http://www.pjbux.com/menuguides

I made up a Sample Menu book and proceeded to get 18 restaurants in my little town of 20,000 to pay $800 to be included.

The Motels LOVED IT...the Restaurants LOVED IT...and I LOVED IT!

Just yesterday I finished my 2nd town (Eugene, Oregon)with 32 Restaurants paying $800 ea for a year exposure in 10 Hotels.

I'm now planning to go South to Medford and Ashland next.

And....BOTH of these programs came from me sitting around a hotel lobby and IMAGINING what IF!

So...KEEP AN EVER WATCHFUL EYE...you never know WHEN you will find a "money-making" idea.

Don Alm
Some of my Home-Based businesses
http://www.pjbux.com

P.S. I just had breakfast with a group of business people, including 3 realtors who gave me another "Diamond" of a money-making Idea.
One realtor started talking about"GIFTS" for his home-buying clients.

He was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for GIFTS other than the "standard" gifts being a bottle of wine or house plant. He was wondering if anyone had a Gift Idea which could help him get REFERRALS.

I perused my "promtion-minded" brain archives and IT HIT!.....

What about a WALL CLOCK....not just any "Wall Clock"... a "Wall Clock" with a PHOTO OF THE HOUSE on the face...and...to help the realtor get REFERRALS...his NAME on the face also?

WOW! When he heard this he practically "went ape". He thought it was a GREAT IDEA!....Give them something with a REASON for placing it on their kitchen wall;
A "PHOTO Wall Clock" has TWO REASONS for placing it on the Kitchen wall of the new home;
1) It's a WALL clock designed to be hung on a wall
and
2) The PHOTO of the house

Now...when friends, relatives and neighbors come into the kitchen....they will NOTICE THE WALL CLOCK...and, they will also see the realtor's NAME....for a possible REFERRAL!

So....his reaction caused me to do a Google Search and WHALA...I found exactly what I was looking for...a "nice-looking" wall clock with a place for a PHOTO and NAME...in fact the company will put these on for me for $15 per clock. I think I can sell them to realtors for $75 per clock so...another "back yard" money-maker is born.

Yup! "Diamonds" are all around.




Some of my work from home programs.

Jennifer June 12, 2003 01:52 AM

Awesome maps! How do you make them? DNO (DNO)
 

Don Alm June 12, 2003 11:23 AM

Re: Awesome maps! How do you make them? DNO
 
I take a Chamber of Comm Map and modify it...removing many small streets which the tourists aren't interested in and they clog up the Map.

Don Alm


Make money Restoring Wood Decks

John June 12, 2003 03:20 PM

Re: Money-Making Ideas are ALL Around!
 
> "Diamonds in your back yard!"

> Here's what I did to discover a couple
> recent "money-making" GEMS;

> Last summer (2002)I decided to see what
> ideas I could come up with for the
> "Tourist" market so I went over to
> the lobby of our 100 room Holiday Inn
> Express and SAT....FOR 3 HOURS!....drinking
> coffee...reading newspapers
> AND...observing....seeing and listening to
> what was going on.

> I saw tourists come in...walk to the front
> desk to check in. When they were finished
> and were handed their keys some of them
> asked if there was a MAP of the
> area....others asked where the GIFT SHOPS
> were and real estate guides and attractions
> and the most common question was, "Are
> there any RESTAURANT GUIDES or
> DIRECTORIES?"

> So...as I was sitting there I started
> writing on my yellow pad, "MAP!....GIFT
> SHOPS...
> REALTORS...ATTRACTIONS....RESTAURANTS!"

> Each tourist entered thru the front lobby
> doorway and passed a BLANK WALL to enter the
> main door. I thought, "Great place for
> a BOARD...with a MAP on it and some Ads
> around the sides!"

> So...I went home and did some measuring and
> designing and came up with a BOARD where I
> could fit a MAP and 18 ads around the edges.
> Here's what it looks like;
> http://www.pjbux.com/lobbyboards I made up
> a sample Board and showed it to the Holiday
> Inn Manager and he gave me the OK to install
> it.

> I then went to 9 other motels and got the
> manager's OK and proceeded to sell 18
> businesses on having a full color ad on my
> "Lobby Boards" for $800 a year.

> One of the other "promotion ideas"
> I got that day I sat in the lobby was...what
> about making up a Book of MENUS and having
> this Book available for tourists to get a
> PREVIEW of what kind of food is served and
> the prices. I also thought it would be a
> GREAT IDEA to include PHOTOS of the
> INTERIORS of restaurants to help tourists
> SEE what the INSIDE of restaurants look
> like.

> Thus....my "RESTAURANT GUIDE" was
> created!
> Here's what it looks like;

> http://www.pjbux.com/menuguides I made up
> a Sample Menu book and proceeded to get 18
> restaurants in my little town of 20,000 to
> pay $800 to be included.

> The Motels LOVED IT...the Restaurants LOVED
> IT...and I LOVED IT!

> Just yesterday I finished my 2nd town
> (Eugene, Oregon)with 32 Restaurants paying
> $800 ea for a year exposure in 10 Hotels.

> I'm now planning to go South to Medford and
> Ashland next.

> And....BOTH of these programs came from me
> sitting around a hotel lobby and IMAGINING
> what IF!

> So...KEEP AN EVER WATCHFUL EYE...you never
> know WHEN you will find a
> "money-making" idea.

> Don Alm
> Some of my Home-Based businesses
> http://www.pjbux.com P.S. I just had
> breakfast with a group of business people,
> including 3 realtors who gave me another
> "Diamond" of a money-making Idea.
> One realtor started talking
> about"GIFTS" for his home-buying
> clients.

> He was wondering if anyone had any
> suggestions for GIFTS other than the
> "standard" gifts being a bottle of
> wine or house plant. He was wondering if
> anyone had a Gift Idea which could help him
> get REFERRALS.

> I perused my "promtion-minded"
> brain archives and IT HIT!.....

> What about a WALL CLOCK....not just any
> "Wall Clock"... a "Wall
> Clock" with a PHOTO OF THE HOUSE on the
> face...and...to help the realtor get
> REFERRALS...his NAME on the face also?

> WOW! When he heard this he practically
> "went ape". He thought it was a
> GREAT IDEA!....Give them something with a
> REASON for placing it on their kitchen wall;
> A "PHOTO Wall Clock" has TWO
> REASONS for placing it on the Kitchen wall
> of the new home;
> 1) It's a WALL clock designed to be hung on
> a wall
> and
> 2) The PHOTO of the house

> Now...when friends, relatives and neighbors
> come into the kitchen....they will NOTICE
> THE WALL CLOCK...and, they will also see the
> realtor's NAME....for a possible REFERRAL!

> So....his reaction caused me to do a Google
> Search and WHALA...I found exactly what I
> was looking for...a "nice-looking"
> wall clock with a place for a PHOTO and
> NAME...in fact the company will put these on
> for me for $15 per clock. I think I can sell
> them to realtors for $75 per clock
> so...another "back yard"
> money-maker is born.

> Yup! "Diamonds" are all around.

Don, is it $800.per biz for one hotel? Or do you sell 18 biz ads per hotel? Sounds like a lot of income from these boards then.

Don Alm June 12, 2003 09:48 PM

Re: Money-Making Ideas are ALL Around!
 
> Don, is it $800.per biz for one hotel? Or do
> you sell 18 biz ads per hotel? Sounds like a
> lot of income from these boards then.

Here's my quote from my post;
"Just yesterday I finished my 2nd town
> (Eugene, Oregon)with 32 Restaurants paying
> $800 ea for a year exposure in 10 Hotels"

That's 32 restaurants paying $800 EACH to be in TEN Hotels. $800 X 32 = $25,600 less the cost of the books (about $80ea) leaves a NET NET to me of approx...$25,000

Now....if I do this in 4 towns....that's 100Grand for Renewals for about 8 weeks of "work" a year. Just for a cockamamie simple idea.

Don Alm




Make Money From Restaurants

Mike Lindsey June 13, 2003 01:08 PM

That's the way the game is played...
 
That's the way to make money. You target a group of people, find out what problems they have in common, and create a product to solve that problem.

If more people, including myself, would take the time to do this, we'd all be making alot more money.

Mike


Discover the Secrets to GIANT Affiliate Checks!...


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